Travel Hacks for Interrailing

October 30, 2018

Interrailing is one of the best travelling options for anyone on a tight budget or schedule. An interrail pass gives you the ability to travel to multiple countries in Europe on your own schedule and you can simply book the next train when you feel fulfilled by your current destination. The pass is reasonably priced and just varies on the duration you would like it to last.

Sadly, there are plenty of mistakes to make for the first-time traveller, and this article on how to avoid them will surely prepare you and make your trip much more enjoyable.

Travel Card

Something every traveller should carry for safety and security. A prepaid travel debit card is basically a modern-day traveller’s cheque, you simply transfer funds from your current account to the travel card, and it can be used anywhere. This way, your debit card doesn’t need to be carried around, and if the card is stolen, they will only have access to limited funds you’ve recently added to the account.

It’s also a great option if you are travelling to countries that use an alternative currency, the majority of travel cards offer better exchange rates as an incentive. So, if you don’t want to be carrying around euro’s, kuna and koruna, it’s worth applying for the travel card

Travelling Essentials

A lot of people can forget about the most uneventful part of travelling around Europe, the travel. Being prepared for journeys that can go from being a couple of hours to an overnight experience on the train need to be thought about. Buying a travel neck pillow and a lightweight, thin blanket will help with your comfort when trying to rest in an upright seated position.

It goes without saying that some entertainment usually helps when on the train, so taking a book, tablet or e-reader usually passes the time better, but be sure to bring a power bank as not all trains around Europe are as modern as you’re used to.

Planning

A fairly obvious point to cover, but planning out your destinations and making sure you put them in an order that reduces all of your travel times will make the trip much better. In some cases when speaking to fellow travellers you’ll find that they are creating their plans as the move from country to country, this can often lead to backtracking on yourself and travel times tend to be longer than expected. Get a map out, put some destination spots down and set up a start and finishing point and try your best to stick to it. This can be easier said than done as there can be times where you might make some new friends, and they tempt you into changing your destinations!

It’s also worth planning out the amount of time you spend in your destinations, there might only be a few attractions you want to see in a city, so planning out your daily schedule also helps to make the most out of your time.

Learn About the Culture

Europe is one of the most fascinating continents on the planet, and this comes from how different each country’s culture is even though the locations are so close. Learning about cultural changes from country to country can help with how much you enjoy your stay, some gestures can be seen as rude and others polite depending on where you travel to, and a quick study can make all the difference.

You’re more than likely to run into a number of problems when travelling around Europe, whether it’s a cancelled train or an overbooked hostel, these are the stories you usually come home and laugh about in the future. Just make sure your travel insurance is up to date and aware of your journey.